Drinking 8 grams of 2000 CNNP green stamp sheng puerh in a 4 oz gaiwan. Obviously fairly dry stored with a slightly sweet, woody flavor and good thickness. It is a very simple tea but also inexpensive and well worth the money IMO

Not so good with notes, sorry. It is not exactly the standard "zhenshan Yiwu" blended flavor that we cut our teeth on, its a little more subtle in the sweet woods character, but very thick and full. More of a single estate tea. I don't think it is quite the same as his Zi Pin, either. Causes a lot more salivation for me than any pu I've tried recently. Not really cooling in the throat today, but nicely coating. Very manageable for drinking now - brewed strong and energy and bitterness were in good balance for enjoyment. Long soaks of several minutes of course yielded a very bitter cup up front, but it quickly turns sweet and has no ill effect on throat, stomach etc. Good for aging? I'd put a bet on it, except I can't really justify more than a cake here and there at this year's prices. Probably worth owning one of these, though.

Smells sweet like brown sugar and plums. Has an aged woody taste that is strange for being so young. Very savory tea, almost no sweet flavor. There is an unrelenting bitterness that does not go away no matter how you brew the tea. Has a light huigan but it does not override the bitterness. This tea is pretty undrinkable at this age but I could see it doing well in the future

5. 2012 Lao Man'E Ku Cha MaochaSyrupy thickness, coats the entire mouth. Unrelenting Man'E bitterness at first but transforms into a delicious sweetness at the back of the throat. Many people don't like Man'E but this maocha is one of my favorite puerhs. That's good because I bought the last 500 grams of it

Tonights tea is a Menghai 2008 "7632" cake.Bought this a while back to accompany the 2012 version of the same cake. In terms of leaf grade this one is only second currently to a Menghai 0712. I have been on this one for two evenings now and it still surprises me. At first I though it to be a little weak on the first infusion I did and was thinking maybe I shouldn’t have gotten this one. I let the tea sit in the yixing with the bit of steam while I put the first cup down. I was hesitant about how this was going to turn out. The second steep really woke it up meaning I should have rinsed it twice. The brew is much darker than the first infusion and I think I got it right this time. It came across as a bit of leather with a hit of fruit with an almost pucker like eating a half ripe persimmon. This tea continues to get darker on the second day and I even pulled some out to brew in the gaiwan. This one puts a small amount of the dry on the sides of the tongue but continues to be a pretty good one. I have had tea that i would be embarrassed to put a note up as they where ones I could not stomach and some that My simple words could not do justice. This tea is sweet , juicy , tart and a bit drying all rolled into one. It has been a very pleasant one to drink and will fall into the same category as a “high mountain charm” or a “wei zui yan” shou. It is warming and smooth to drink and I think this will go to the third day with good strength in the cup. I will put it slightly higher than the “adorned in red” cake but the two are nice and comparably have good aspects that I would choose in a shou cha. I did short steeps with water just off the boil and I will increase the steeps for the later rounds.

So far the oldest tea I've had to date along with the 1970's Da Ye loose leaf, courtesy of Bev from listeningtoleaves. Absolutely delicious. Starts out with a thick oily sweetness on the sides of the tongue. Tingly across the roof of the mouth. Very active with good qi. Mellows out and turns in to a slightly sweet, oily earthy brew. Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum